Canadiens’ Max Pacioretty and Russian hockey stars Vladislav Tretiak and Alex Ovechkin will be joined Friday evening from 6 p.m. by other players present and past at Montreal’s Le Windsor for a gala cocktail/dinner fundraising auction.

Here’s the link to the event. Tickets will be available at the door, 1170 Peel St. (below Ste. Catherine St. W.), for $195 each.

The event will benefit the charitable foundations of Pacioretty, who is working to raise $3.5 million to buy an MRI machine for the Montreal General Hospital to diagnose and treat brain-trauma injuries, and Tretiak, who has long worked globally to improve the health and welfare of needy Russian children.

It is the first major fundraising event for Pacioretty since he created his foundation last autumn.

Ovechkin, in town with his Washington Capitals for Saturday’s Bell Centre matinée against the Canadiens, will lend his support, as will a number of Pacioretty’s teammates and likely a few Canadiens alumni as well.

Dozens of items will be featured in live and silent auctions. They include:

117 Comments

My bags are packed and I’m ready to go. Leaving for my brother’s for supper and the Habs Devils game because he’s an hour closer to Montreal than I am. We get up tomorrow morning and 7 to 7 1/2 hrs later we are in Montreal for some night life and both hockey games this weekend. Pretty excited, my first trip to the Bell. Last Habs game I saw was in Ottawa Oct 17th, 2007. It was carey’s 2nd career start, the Habs lost 4-3. I took my father
( a die hard Habs fan with health issues ) to his first Habs game in Ottawa because my brother was stationed there. He died Oct 24th so this may bring back some memories.
When I bought the tickets and booked the hotel room last September I definitely didn’t expect the Habs to be 10 points out of a playoff spot so that’s a definite downer.
I will not be on here again until Tuesday when I expect to be talking about the Habs 3 game winning streak.

I’m hearing Moen’s injury isn’t that bad, and he should be able to play. They’re resting him and keeping him out of action so he doesn’t get hurt (they don’t want another Gio like situation), especially if teams are interested and he can fetch something decent in return.

Ideally I would like to keep him going forward. I would like for us to get rid of Gio, Kaberle and Gomer.

Okay, if true then, would think trade is imminent. I would hope he isn’t going to be a healthy scratch from now until trade deadline. Unless PG has officially adopted The Tank Movement, under the command of Brigadier Hard Harbits.

I think it’s smart to try to get an idea of what Moen can fetch and see if it makes sense for us. If all we get for Moen is a 3rd rounder, then it’s better to keep him. I personally think he’s a valuable player to have in the lineup. If he gets hurt then he’s obviously not getting traded.

1: I think we would have the lowest payroll with that lineup
2: you want to trade away Gionta?
Gionta 1st year, 28 goals in 61 games and 7 goals in 19 playoff games. 37 in 80 games. 2nd year 29 goals in 82 games and 3 in 7 playoff games, 32 in 87 games. And you want to trade him away?
3: I don’t think that lineup can legally play, might be below the cap floor.

If you resign all the key guys, Price 5.5 PK 3 Ak 4 Keep Gionta keep Kaberle, etc you would still have around 10M in cap space going into next season plus wtv the cap goes back, if you just remove Gomez.
In regards to the young you named, Gallagher, Tinordi, all need a season or two in the AHL starting next season.

Tinordi and Beaulieu will still be in juniors next year….. maybe Hamilton (Laval?) if there’s room which its looking like there will be. Gallagher will be in the AHL no question, and no doubt the plan is to put him and Leblanc together. Just wish we had another forward in that age category to complete the trio. Even still, if those four guys are in the AHL next year our Bulldogs are looking better already. Wait……….are they still allowed to be called the Bulldogs if they move to Quebec or will they have to translates to Les Bouledogues?

Yah saw that this morning. That is ridiculous. I actually think the team should lose a draft choice if that is proven to have occurred. LIke a 5th round pick, no fine is enough due to the ingegrity (ahem, cough) of the game being comprimised like that.

IF it was Boston who would have been at the losing end then Campbell would have fired everyone involved, given Boston the win, give Lucic free rign on all goalies, give Chara immunity when it comes to dishing out serious injuries, give the Bruins 5 free wardrobe malfunctions and celebrate at center ice with them in June.

So someone said on here that they wouldn’t draft Yakupov cause he’s only 5’10” and I can’t help but come back to something that has always bothered me about hockey in general.

I’ll never understand the emphasis put on height. I get that Gionta is not in the same physical realm as Chara, but what the hell is the difference between a 5’10” and a 6′ player? Is the 6′ player 2 inches faster or 2 inches stronger? Height is severely overrated IMO. Come to think of it, so is weight to a lesser extent.

I think it has more to do with the type of player he is. In Yakupovs case i dont think it really matter between 6′ and 5’10” but if he was 6’2” 210 lbs we would be looking at a more versatile and complete player. Not that he’s any more or less talented at any height. In his case when a player is overflowing with raw talent height relatively doesn’t matter (in some cases it does though just look at how late we picket up Gallagher) In saying that though it’s a lot easier going into the corner at 6’3” and coming out with the puck then it is at 5’10”. After re-reading what i just wrote maybe its more of a weight thing how solid you can be while not compromising speed. Larger frame gives you more space to pack on the muscle…..
And there’s always the freaks like Franky B. 5’8” 215….. man i loved him

The thing is, there are so many exceptions on the height and weight side of the arguement. Look at Nugent-Hopkins or even Wayne Simmonds, tall and VERY lean, yet compete with the more ‘filled out’ players. Then there are guys like Franky B or Prust or Tootoo or even Crosby, Datsyuk or Zetterberg, all listed under 6′ yet they compete with the ‘taller’ guys.

I just think there is SOOOO MUCH more to a player than his, lets call them, ‘physical stats’. We all drool over the prototype 6’4 220 player when, in reality, a 5’11 190 pound guy could be more effective. I think we all agree that the smurf experiment did not work, but more importantly than the heights on paper is the type of player the Gio’s/Cammy’s/Plekky’s are. Skill players as opposed to physical players with skill. I think that is the balance everyone is looking for.

Holy crap, that is just unbelievable,!!! I thought that his radio persona was just a schtick. I withdraw my support for McGuire as GM, now will endorse (feels like republican nomination) for Claude Loiselle who I just read up on him and he seems like very good candidate for the Habs GM job.

I don’t know whether he would be good or not. I don’t know if the article was written with a bias or agenda or not. What I do know is that after 18yrs gimme a break. If we based our opinions of HIO site members on what they did 18yrs ago (or even 18months ago) we’d have a pretty skewed….and wrong….opinion of who they are today.

Not that I have any medical background whatsoever a la Recchi, but I can’t imagine Markov ever playing out his NHL career at top level, if at all… The guy’s knees must be done. How many more times can you have surgery and still be able to play?

Actually, it is very much an individual thing. Some players can have a reconstructed knee and come out just as strong as ever. In fact, depending on the graft that is used, it actually could be technically even stronger. Some guys don’t heal quite as well as others, and some, like Markov, just keep getting adverse events from the healing process and scar tissue issues (say that ten times fast).

McGuire was a coach and scout. He had no success in Hartford and surely nobody would allocate any credit to him for the success the Penguins enjoyed while he was with that organization. He has not held any job with an NHL club in roughly 15 years. Do those of you who believe he would be a good GM think the rest of the league is simply wrong about this guy??

So far as I can tell, there is nothing in McGuire’s past to suggest he can handle the duties of a GM, nor does he appear to me to have the savviness for the job.

Perhaps he is a good judge of talent. He may even be a good game strategist. If true, then let’s bring him on as a scout, assistant coach or video coordinator. But I do not understand how or why anyone can reasonably believe that his years as a TV analyst have equipped him to negotiate player contracts or transactions with other managers, interpret and apply the CBA to best manage the cap, and otherwise lead an organization.

McGuire is very opinionated and expresses his views with passion. He is a good analyst. He speaks French. If that qualifies him to be the next GM of the Habs, then godspeed to him!

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GO HABS GO! 2011-12 is probably not our year!
“Scott Gomez, a potential Hall of Fame player, has two Stanley Cup rings and a Calder Trophy that says ‘I’m a player whom any authentic NHL coach will rely on to fix a game problem.’” – VancouverHab

Yeesh guys. I was just making a joke about the quality of the players.
Jean Béliveau, Maurice Richard, Gordie Howe, Bobby Hull, Patrick Roy, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin. All of them are world class, cup winners, trophy winners, legends, etc…
The three current Habs, not so much…

That depends, did Markov see his shadow? And did he re-injure himself in the process?

———————–
GO HABS GO! 2011-12 is probably not our year!
“Scott Gomez, a potential Hall of Fame player, has two Stanley Cup rings and a Calder Trophy that says ‘I’m a player whom any authentic NHL coach will rely on to fix a game problem.’” – VancouverHab

A while back I heard Claude Loiselle was the dark horse for the Habs GM position (if it were to become vacant)… if he ends up getting the job I’ll really regret not buying the NJ Devils “Loiselle” jersey I saw at Value Village a year ago.
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Opinions are like kittens, I’m giving them away.

I was at the mapleview mall in the food court wondering who else there was a habs fan, when I heard two teenage girls discussing an andrew berkshire article on who should be the habs next GM. I was actually just getting a smoothie for my hike in bronte creek.
What does it matter where I heard it? It is more reliable than any suggestion that pierre mcguire will be.

Andrew fen-wick Berkshire…who?lol Ok ,it’s time to counter all the CArey Price love with a lil team reality….Price is a good Goalie but he is no Brodeaur,Roy or Hasik ….not yet!And Price is just as responsable for this Habs suckfestpalosa as is every member of this years Canadiens team ,period.And being that the Habs will miss the playoffs this year one has to question that with ten points out of a playoff spot and thirty games remaining ,were there games this year where Carey could of done a better job too which the Habs would be in playoff contension.I say yes he could of and a team sport every one is responsable for it’s poor showing! This being said , I clearly hope that when resigning Mr Price we don’t give him the key to the bank.

Brian Burke was on Strombolopolous (sp?) last night.
He talked about everything from Hockey to Politics to Gay Rights…
He said that he would have asked Tim Thomas to attend the White House ceremony if it was his team. He said that he (Burke) disagreed with Bush’s politics, but he went to the White House back when the Ducks won the Cup.
Strombo (who is a HUGE Habs fan) asked him about what’s happening to Gauthier here, and Burke says he feels for him, that he’s a nice guy, A very smart GM. (for what it’s worth!)
He also said that in Montreal, when people think you’re stupid; it’s twice as bad, because both the French AND English fans don’t like you….(That got a big laugh from the Toronto audience as expected)
He was pretty interesting for the most part….

Agree SD. There are times I hate him, when I disagree, then 2 days later I listen to him and I like him. He is a good GM, I am not convinced he is in the upper echelon group, however, that group seems to be diminishing by the season.

I Hope he doesn’t become great, or at least not while still in Toronto. I don’t mind them in the playoffs, but they cannot win a cup or my life gets difficult here in Southern Ont.

I’m not a huge fan of his, for obvious reasons, but I will say this: The way he embraced his son after he came out, both publicly and privately, was phenomenal. You see too many homophobic tendencies in organized sports, but Burke has been pure class in that regard, and if what he’s done makes it easier, even in a small way, for a closeted person, athlete or not, to come out, then he’s a hero.
Leafs still suck, though.

Without delving into the history of the past 10-15 drafts, I’m sure one would see the Habs drafting is no worse than any other team and in fact, may be in the upper echelon of the league (in terms of drafting).
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Opinions are like kittens, I’m giving them away.

One thing worth pointing out is that Detroit has been well-stocked with veterans and have been contending Stanley Cups so they’ve been trading draft picks like crazy to maintain their long run at the top.

From 2008-2011, Montreal has only had Louis Leblanc suit up for 14 games…nobody else has seen the NHL. So it’s fair to say that the deeper Red Wings might be in the same boat and it is too early to judge guys drafted since 2008.

In the 2005, 2006, and 2007 drafts, Montreal unearthed Price, Latendresse, D’Agostini, S. Kostitsyn, White, McDonagh, Pacioretty, Subban and Weber. Over that time period, they had 4 first rounders and 4 second round picks.

In the same drafts, Detroit found Kindl, Abdelkader, Helm, Matthias and Emmerton. Obviously, the advantage goes to Montreal. But it should be noted that due to trades, Detroit only had 2 first round picks and 4 second round picks. And because of their finishes, they generally draft much lower than Montreal.

Montreal is one of the best drafting teams in the NHL, hands down. They just haven’t gotten lucky yet with a home run pick.

The habs not getting lucky with a home run pick could be a question of development though. The wings tend to take their time with prospects to properly develop them. The wings also had some great role models for guys like Datsyuk and Zetterberg in Steve Yzerman and Nick Lidstrom.

We also had a huge blunder back when we took david fisher before Claude Giroux. Claude Giroux had three 100 pts+ seasons in the QMJHL (which is our own backyard), and we draft this US defensemen who doesnt even play any significant form of hockey anymore. I will always find that mind boggling. I find that blunder even worse than kostitsyn before getzlaf/parise/carter/richards, because at least with kostitsyn we got a useable NHL player.

Does anyone really believe that the organization will put a very loud public figure in the position of general manager of the Habs. One of the best things about PG and BG (and probably one of the main reasons stupid people hate them) is that they are very discreet. They don’t air their opinions or their plans to the public very often. Could you imagine the chaos that would result if armchair GM’s knew what was going on. Every day their would be an amplified disagreement with the Habs (not that their isn’t already) by people who think they can do a better job.

Trust me, if PG is fired, and he won’t be, then the replacement will not be so loud mouth, shoot from the hip, tv character, but will be another discreet intellectual who will keep the job of managing the team solely for the people who manage the team.

If he’s hiding it then how do you know it’s covered up. Maybe, just maybe, he’s listening to the expert doctors who got it wrong. Blasphemy I know.

Maybe the reason he said size matter is because that’s what every GM says and as we know we needed a guy like Bourque to go to the net. (Also, size doesn’t matter, it’s how you use that size)

Maybe he said Kaberle’s cap hit didn’t matter because he’s only getting paid 4.25 m which is not that much for a veteran dman who scores at .5 ppg. He also said this in reference to this seasons salary cap. In which it is not an issue because we have banked so much money due to LTIR

Those are some great prizes indeed…
…I find the dinner with Patches, Mrs. Patches, and Knuckles Nilan especially interesting… is Nilan’s purpose in the dinner to ensure the winner acts appropriately with Mrs. Patches?
I wish I had extra cash to drop $200 on a dinner and another $?$? for the prizes.
Sure hope the events website shows the winning bids (i.e. I’d be curious to see how much someone would spend for a week long trip to Sochi 2014)
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Opinions are like kittens, I’m giving them away.

I agree. I thought it was actually pretty well thought out. I have never been a McQuire fan. He knows his hockey but I agree that he seems more like a fan than upper management.

I am more interested in what is going to happen from here to the end of the season with the habs that who is the next GM. There are so many question marks and PG is going to want to save his behind. The sad part is waiting for that is more exciting than watching the current product on the ice